AGENDA #5c

MEMORANDUM

TO:                  Mayor and Town Council

FROM:            W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager

SUBJECT:       Transportation Management Plan Report

DATE:             May 29, 2002

This memorandum reports on the status of approved Transportation Management Plans submitted to fulfill the requirements of Special Use Permit stipulations.  In 2001, a total of 115 companies at 36 sites representing approximately 4,000 employees were required to complete an Annual Report.  This memorandum summarizes the findings of the 2001 annual reports and employee travel behavior survey (Attachment #1).

These plans are intended to reduce the use of single occupant vehicles by providing incentives for employees to carpool, use transit, bicycle, or walk to work.

BACKGROUND

In December 1991, the Council amended the Downtown Parking Regulations to provide greater flexibility for new development.  This change introduced the option of developing a Transportation Management Plan in lieu of providing parking spaces for new development within the Town Center area.  In addition to development within the Town Center, the Town has requested the development of Transportation Management Plans for projects in other locations.

These plans are to reduce the use of single occupant vehicles and to support the Town’s efforts to promote transit, and bicycle and pedestrian usage.  These plans, developed by the applicant with assistance from Town staff, include various incentives designed to encourage the use of alternative modes of transportation.

STATUS

The number of properties with this Special Use Permit stipulation continues to increase as more developments with a Transportation Management Plan requirement are constructed and occupied.  In 1993, the first year with occupied buildings with a Transportation Management Plan in effect, a total of three employers with 344 employees, were required to conduct an Annual Report.  This year, a total of 115 employers with approximately 4,000 employees are required to complete an Annual Report.  Attachment #2 is a copy of the 2001 Annual Report and the Employee Travel Survey. Attachment #3 is a listing of developments with a Transportation Management Plan requirement.  

KEY FINDINGS

The employee travel survey (see Attachment #1 for detailed information) gives a picture of the participants in the programs.  For the responding employers, approximately 70 percent of the employees responded to the survey.  The average employee working at these businesses in Chapel Hill:

• resides in Chapel Hill (this percent has declined from a high of 41% in 1984 to the current level of 32% in 2001)
• commutes in a single occupant vehicle (consistently over 90 percent during the five survey years);
• arrives at work between 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. (the morning peak period has continued to spread with 34% now arriving at work prior to 7:30 a.m.);
• is satisfied with their current travel habits (63% would not be willing to participate in any options at this point); and
• is unwilling to change travel mode (76% would not consider any alternatives).

We note some significant changes in the results.  We believe these are the result of adding additional businesses and employees to the survey pool rather that any significant changes in behavior and characteristics of employees.

The Annual Reports submitted by the employers indicated:

• approximately 55 percent of the surveyed business were located in multi-tenant facilities (29 percent in Central Business District);
• 68 percent of businesses have shared parking facilities;
• 93 percent of surveyed businesses have transit service available.

Other trends of the programs include:

• no significant trend on changes in commute mode of transportation has emerged over the course of this program;
• work sites outside the downtown area had a majority of employees arriving at work during the morning peak hour (7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.). Downtown employees were more likely to arrive later in the morning;
• downtown workers were more likely to use alternatives to the single occupant vehicle;
• downtown workers were more likely to travel less than five miles to work.

CONCLUSION

The Transportation Management Plan process has grown from three employers in 1993 to 115 employers in 2001.  This growth will continue as more development is approved and constructed (Attachment #4 is a listing of approved developments with a Transportation Management Plan requirement, although the developments are not yet built or occupied).  The goal of the Transportation Management Plan program is to encourage the use of alternative modes of transportation through the use of a variety of incentives.  To date, no significant trends have emerged on changes in commuter modes of travel to work.

We believe that the Transportation Management Plan program provides the Town with useful information on the travel behavior of individuals working in Chapel Hill.  The Transportation Management Plan program can also provide the Town with the important means of providing these workers with information about alternative transportation choices and related information about ozone mitigation programs.

More resources would help achieve the goals of these plans and support as this program continues to grow.  We have had significant difficulty in maintaining an accurate data base of appropriate points of contact for local property, and collecting complete responses to the Business Survey and Employee Travel Behavior Survey.  Although the majority of sites required to prepare a Transportation Management Plan Report have complied, several sites have failed to respond and zoning violation letters are in the process of being mailed to these property owners.

We anticipate additional efforts by Town staff to contact the transportation coordinators for each business location to ensure accurate and complete information.  We anticipate contacting each business at the beginning of January, April, July, and October to disseminate transportation information and to confirm proper contact people.   We expect to conduct a complete survey each business on a biennial basis beginning in the Fall of 2003.  This would ensure the continued effort in maintaining a database on travel behavior of employees working in Chapel Hill.

ATTACHMENTS

1. 2001 Employee Travel Survey Results (p. 4).
2. Business Survey 2001 (p. 8).
3. Developments to Implement a Transportation Management Plan (p. 12).
4. Approved Projects (p. 14).